The founder story
Technology should help people connect, and help them care for each other too.
From a young age, travel has always been a big part of my life. Some of my greatest memories were created on the road, not only because of the places I visited, but because of the people I met along the way. Complete strangers could become friends simply because we happened to share the same place, journey or experience.
As technology became more present in our lives, I started noticing something changing. We became more connected digitally, yet somehow less connected to the people physically around us. I experienced it myself while travelling. There could be hundreds or thousands of people sharing the same experience, yet no simple way of knowing who was there, who wanted to meet others, or how to break the ice.
I kept thinking there had to be a better way.
My own life also changed dramatically after going through cancer and a near-death experience. It gave me a different perspective on time, people and what I wanted to contribute. I knew that whatever I built next, I wanted it to have a genuinely positive purpose. And connection was only part of that.
While on a cruise, I came across a young child who had become separated from their family. That experience stayed with me. On a ship filled with thousands of people, something can happen very quickly, and sometimes the people best placed to help are simply the people already nearby.It reinforced another belief behind OceanMingle:
"Technology should not only help us meet people. It should also help us look out for one another."
That thinking has influenced the safety tools we continue to build into OceanMingle, including features designed to help communities respond when someone may need assistance.
OceanMingle was created to bring these ideas together: a platform where people can discover who is sharing the same experience, connect before they arrive and while they are there, and be part of a community built around both connection and care. We are starting with experiences such as cruises, festival cruises and music festivals, with more shared experiences to come.
The technology may change. The purpose remains simple: make it easier for people to find one another, connect and look out for each other.
